How to Lay the Foundation for a Patio or Walkway

Lowe's home improvement expert, Mike Kraft, demonstrates how to lay the foundation for a patio and walkway. The first layer is the gravel base, followed by leveling sand. These two layers will create a level area for your backyard patio. Learn how deep you should dig and what grade you should use around the house. Then, use a plate compactor to level the base foundation. Add gravel and compact again. Finally, use PVC pipe and leveling sand to create the top layer of the patio foundation.

To find out how to finish installing your patio and walkway, visit http://www.Lowes.com/Videos

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• brick patio installation
• building a patio
• patio foundations
• patio paver foundation
• laying a foundation
• laying patio foundation
• lowes
• lowe's

[loiraodoido]

It's so much easier if you use it the 2 by 4

[jhardy526]

what is the name of that paver base (3:25) and where can i buy it?

[revers0001]

@RJH33101 run the level line first, then tie a second line at the appropriate slope. Do this by starting at the "high" end and tying at exactly the same location at the level line. At the "low" end mark from the first line with a pencil how much you want the slope (ie: 4" for a 16' run) Tie the other line here.

This line now runs at the appropriate grade. As you dig, measure from the sloped line down the appropriate number of inches plus how many inches your line is above grade.

[joshron99]

After I watched the first of Lowe's instructional videos, its fifteen seconds of annoying intro music and sound (as obnoxious visually as it is aurally) keeps me from watching any others.

[davubu]

very helpful overview.

[Creative572]

@mirzareturns Polymeric sand is the way to go. Its got a glue formula in it that dries hard after being watered. Just apply the water lightly tho, so the sand won't foam!

[Creative572]

@DeWadeRo For proper foundation structure. It seperates the patio from the soft lawn & prevents interlock from shifting along the soldier course edges. We typically go 1 foot past for all our installs.

[jamesso7]

i love lowes

[DeWadeRo]

Can somebody explain why you excavate a few inches past the actual line of the patio?

[zentetsu32]

You can buy all this stuff at your local nursery cheaper than lowes sells it! Also people ask how to slope it away from your house.. That seems like common sence but its a quarter of and inch for each foot.. So you have 5 ' patio 1'' and a quarter slope away from house..